Growing up in a small factory town in rural Massachusetts, music wasn’t just an escape for Charles—it was a lifeline. Forbidden from listening to secular music by his deeply religious parents, he found solace in the world of melodies and lyrics. At sixteen, an elbow injury dashed his dreams of becoming a baseball pitcher, but it led him to pick up his father’s acoustic guitar. From that moment, music became his refuge and his rebellion.

"I was always playing, always listening," he recalls. "It was my way of expressing what I couldn’t say out loud." His early influences ranged from the intricate guitar work of Dave Matthews to the soulful voices of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. He devoured everything from folk legends like Bob Dylan and Nick Drake to the soaring melodies of Jeff Buckley and the classical mastery of Vladimir Horowitz.

In his early twenties, he left his hometown for the unknown, moving through North Carolina, Virginia, Miami, Texas, and finally spending ten transformative years in New York City. Each place added a new layer to his musical identity. "I had no connections, no community. I just played and wrote music as often as I could, pouring everything into it."

His songwriting process is deeply emotional. "It usually starts with a guitar part that resonates with how I’m feeling. Then, I build from there." His goal is to create songs that are profound without sacrificing accessibility, connecting listeners to their own experiences and emotions.

A vocal injury in New York almost silenced his dreams, but the isolation of the COVID-19 lockdowns reignited his passion. Sharing covers of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen and "Can’t Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley, he went viral, garnering millions of views. "That response was a turning point. I was on the verge of giving up, going back to school, and pursuing a conventional career."

Now based in the high desert of Yakima, Charles continues to write, record, and produce his music independently. "Everything I do is self-taught and self-produced. It’s overwhelming at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way."